Final Pulse: A Today Fantasy
by phoebusmash
Summary: Set in the modern world, the Fabula Nova Crystallis tale continues its independent story as mysterious 'seals' chose their bearers. Blessed by the gods with human avatars, follow the lives of those who will magic as they unravel their fate and faith. Will you survive for the sins of mankind?
1. Act 1

Act One

**The Student**

The man was wearing a gas mask. It made me wonder if something had been going on. In full Kevlar and helmet, he undoubtedly belonged in the police force.

I continued to wonder; why the mask though.

The train station filled just enough for a busy day, typical. Another day in school, like hell. The number today seemed unusual. Usually, this certain station of Eddas District packs a lot of 'everyday' people, as we can call it.

Something felt weirdly off.

One minute.

The train failed to show up, where is it?

Damn, I'm going to be late.

Two minutes.

Where the hell?

The number of people increased, as second by second a man enters a turnstile and waits in line.

Three minutes.

The police officer cut my line. He stood in front of the crowd; in front of me.

"Remain calm. The station will be closed, the train will not arrive. Please stay inside the station as we fix the situation. I repeat, remain calm.

I did not panic. I cared not to join the growing hysteria of chatter and gossip. But eavesdropping was unavoidable.

"… A what?" A man on the phone was talking loud and seemed distressed.

"What sickness, what is happening, what quarantine!"

Some listened intently too. Some were on their way doing the same, grabbing their mobile phones calling frantically.

The tension began to grow. The panic of the feared was present.

I remained calm. It was the beginning of yet another apocalypse.

Whatever this is, I know I'll get through.

**Femme Fatale**

What the fuck? Seriously would these people just shut up?

My phone rang.

It's the Boss.

"Wow so much for a call, Boss." I greeted.

The people in the train station were loud; all making and answering phone calls. So much for me, though. I moved area wide—to the farthest reach of the train station, the women's area, where in my everyday travel, I chose not to be. Let's call today a special occasion.

"If you are unaware, there is no work today. You are free a day off." He paused, slightly keeping his cool despite the tremble in his voice, "days off, at least, for an uncertain period. I will call again, and it will be to your aid. Take care, Ms. Val."

"What the? What are you saying!" The first word I spoke, he had already hung up.

Obviously, something was wrong.

I paced to the policeman in a gas mask, oddly suspicious to wear one in telling us to be calm.

He was currently being bombarded with questions by the people as if a press conference. He released safe answers ending always with a 'calm' phrase.

Uh.

A loud screeching sound reached my ears at a distance. I knew this sound. I hopped off the turnstiles and sprinted through the crowd, reaching the terminal's one entrance-exit.

As I expected, the gate was closed down. No way for people in, or out. It was a man, too, dressed exactly like the police who was on the job.

I treaded carefully the prison I was currently, if not, quarantined at, with no notable people to survive whatever this crisis this would turn out. I reached for the edge of the tracks and carefully watched the mirror situation of what was happening on the other side of the tracks.

Calling would be useless, I might as well ask the frantic public.

"Excuse me, miss. Might you know the current situation?" I dearly asked, doing my best performance in gregariousness.

Her eyes were bloodshot with tears. "The apocalypse. The end!" Then she shook my shoulders with her hands.

Yep, they're going insane.

I might as well not ride in the bandwagon. And instead follow the police's advice: stay calm.

From the city, a building collapsed with sounds that shook the cement I was standing on. The explosion boomed to an instance that matched everyone's expression of fear. I looked at where the explosion came, a commercial building was in flames and almost had been poorly torn in half.

Apocalypse, all right. The tension and the insanity a while back I had thought was the worst I could get, I was wrong.

There was always something that was worse than what we think is the worst.

Everyone wanted to get out of the building. Some were banging on the barred gate, some were wondering if jumping on the railroad will help them any good; furthermore thinking if the high voltage tracks would not hurt much.

I sat there, at the edge, at the farthest corner, at the women's area of the terminal, hoping and praying not just for safety, but also if the people's shutting up.

**The Student**

It seemed like a dream. At that edge, at the farthest corner, only I and the woman noticed. On the railings, two marks appeared, freshly seared on the luster.

It did not take long before the marks unbelievably floated in midair, hanging in what seemed to be a 3D model. The marks read a certain character, each was unique; although, I had had not a clue on what descent the symbol was.

It crept nearer, hauntingly frightening. In unison, the woman also took a crawl back like in those horror movies.

It did not take a second before I let out a shriek, in harmony with the woman's scream. The degree of hell it inflicted was temporary but excruciating. My eyes did not even take a moment to register how the floating mark traveled to my left hand.

I grunted, and crippled weakly—in fear and pain of the afterburn.

I checked the woman beside me, she struggled the same.

"Fuck, what entity the fuck!" She screamed while grasping her wrist down to the ground.

Our screams went unnoticed, with all the ruckus and apocalyptic measures around the transit.

It lasted a minute for both of us to put into substance what happened. What we know was that it was literally out of the world and alien. Have we been the 'marked ones' or some 'chosen few'? Or is it just those who will be saved from the apocalypse? Insanity drove me away from the calm I had kept minutes back.

Why us?

**Femme Fatale**

What the hell is this thing? It pained, and now I got an instant tattoo from some freak mark from a railroad.

"What is this?" The kid beside me spoke, finally, after all his grunts and shrieks. He raised his left hand bearing a mark different from mine, but clearly similar from that I own.

I raised mine too as leveled to his as I could.

I was shocked by how it glowed for a second. A blink of an eye but it was vivid; more like a blinding one second flash. Somehow… I know. I remembered now. This was what I had been researching for, this was it. Time had come at last.

"Maybe we got something special." He seemed eager but afraid.

But I know. I had been aware for the previous two years working for the Boss.

"Okay, kiddo. Calm down. Let me explain, all this. Just keep your cool, okay? And don't be surprised too much on what you will hear.

My name is Claire. I work for a special company called Independents, where we specialize in uncovering unknown public information through extracting it from ancient artifacts, astronomy, and all gods being prayed to but not one god. We then sell our information and research to the government then to the world who hides this information to any man not involved. Behind our backs, they prepare themselves with what they call 'neo-military weapons' to fight against whatever happens today that happened in the past.

This is a case I remember from a hundred years back, a study done by uncovering on what was made to be forgotten by man. Only a hundred years before existed many gods, formed through prayers of man, and these gods granted power, what was called magic.

Magic was used to manipulate and to protect themselves to the creatures that lurked our world before. Also, it was used as a weapon to destroy the world and mankind itself, it was the downfall that caused chaos by magic. History books today are what they had done on the last days of the Purge. The last Purge was of memory and information. It was kept hidden from us. Even man lived then not knowing. Even those who performed the Purge a hundred years ago had not a clue of what happened.

Then why do I know this since there was a Purge? Because I've read what they call the 'Second Bible' written like a history book by one unknown person, who magically, still not known today on how. It is currently being researched, and the results should be out today through a conference. But this interfered.

Anyway, back then, symbols of these were common to each other. But not ours. And I do not know if this applies to what we own today. Once you're marked, you shall be in debt to a god. One god, depending on who you are. Corresponding to this, we are given superhuman abilities that evolve, along with something called 'magic.'

We are feared by common folk, and seized by the military, because we are considered the enemies. This is our fate, our inevitable fate.

We have to know our purpose. To answer the questions "Why us? What should we do?"

You've heard of the legend right? Even similar to John 3:16., '…for whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.' Similar to the legend that whoever fulfils his focus will live forever, but if not, turning into a monster, a ghoul. But if we do complete our purpose, we become crystals. An eternity.

W—Wait! I feel different. Light? I feel lighter?"

"Maybe it's the abilities you've said? Including superhuman abilities?" He said, confident as he was.

"Oh, right. And you believe all what I've said?" I wondered of course. He should be at least shocked or in denial.

He managed a grin. "Let's not waste time. Know our focus, right? Know who the real enemy is. Maybe we're not the enemies, today." He walked past me.

"I've heard the calls of Ifrit." He whispered to me. "Last night, it was a dream. He taught me. He knew. I know." He was walking, in a straight line to the entrance of the transit.

"Hey, what are you doing!?" I wanted to stop him but—

_Fire._

From his left palm quickly radiated a ball of blue fire, seemingly gathering enough heat. In a sweeping motion of his hand, the boy cast the fire like a ball to the gate.

It burned deeply but slowly. The man wearing a gas mask was surprised and raised a pistol to the boy. "Freeze. What did you just do!?"

The boy turned gently sideways, a slight grin forming on his lower lip. The transit was silent, all eyes on the scandal. Few were holding their breaths, and as surprised as I as the man in a gas mask as to every person but the boy whom I just explained this too.

He raised his left hand to the gas-masked, showing the man his mark. The man stepped back in reflex and pointed firmly his gun to the boy.

"Don't you move, or I'll shoot!"

I took a step forward, then two.

Three. I was calm as I remembered the words and let it out: "It's called magic."

I remembered now. She spoke to me, too. She told me everything. Shiva knew. I know.

_Blizzard._

Along with a numbness in my left hand, a bluish white frost formed a ball at the middle of my palm. I cast the magic to the awed man as he stumbled back hard to the ground.

A gun shot.

Am I bleeding? Shit.

I remembered. There were two guards.

There was less pain, is this a dream? But the blood enough proved it was not one.

"I'll help you."

From the crowd of on-lookers emerged a woman in a corporate attire but in her early twenties. The pretty woman walked toward us, and down to me. The young man stopped his fires and his actions. The silence killed me greater.

"It's okay. You'll get better." She sounded soft, and the calmer of calms. She whispered next, "_Cure."_

A green light emerged from the wound, a same light glowing from the palm of his left hand. Miraculously, I felt better, and the red river on my shoulder was gone.

Everyone in the transit shut their mouths, even the guards were left hanging and frozen.

The three of us walked towards the still burning gate, a hole fit like a door open to the outside.

We stepped outside the transit.

**The Student**

Ha! I could not even believe this! It's like those games I played before! This was a dream come true. Was I even dreaming?

Get a grip of yourself, me! Uh, back to my question. Was this a dream?

Clearly, no. But I had to stay strong, neutral I had promised. I had to fight for the truth. The truth needed for these questions I had quarantined in my head. It felt so hard.

Walking with these strangers, female strangers, was weird. One was Claire, as she had introduced herself. And this corporate girl seemed tense. Was she hiding something?

Things crept to my head, questions I promised not to let me be bothered with.

"So, where do we go," the corporate girl asked Claire. "I'm X, by the way. As in the letter."

"That's cool," Claire replied with an obviously uninterested tone. "So, I suggest we go to safety for a while. Discuss this and that."

"You mean explanations?" X was straightforward with an intervention. She snickered, "No need actually. I prefer finding things out myself."

Claire walked straight, unnoticing of X's reply.

Around us, it seemed an abandoned town. There were a few cars, some parked some were left on the middle of the road. No signs of life anywhere. It seemed that everybody must have locked up inside the buildings or evacuated elsewhere. Who knows?

"Safety," I muttered. "Where is safety exactly?"

"Anywhere," Claire was sharp and the earth shook all of a sudden, "but here."

It seemed like an earthquake, and there were screeching, deafening sounds from ahead of us. Not what we were expecting.

**Femme Fatale**

"Oh dear, our first." I managed to say. "Well, guess this is where all the training applies."

"Listen, kid, X. We cannot run away. It has locked on us, and will continue to track us. This is the one I mentioned but this one is a low-level neo-military weapon. I guess we can manage to defeat it if we could put in unison our gifts."

I was nervous, never like a simulation, and with magic; unlike in training. "Okay, so I'll be in the front line and go melee, while you kid, cast flames towards the heart of the enemy, the most armored area. X, I'll need your support whatever you can wield, whatever you can cast whenever I am injured. Got it?"

But it was not the same. The weapon came nearer, and it stood shining and dangerous. A 10-foot metallic monster, shaped to be a man, silver fists, and wielded silver daggers in place.

It crept nearer, its size growing in distance. Its daggers became much clearer and proved to be fearsome, two slightly curved long knives, shined to perfection of luster.

"Engage." I whispered. Just like the simulation. And I charged, pulling the two pistols from my pockets.

**X**

She charged like an animal. What was I supposed to do?

The kid beside me started throwing out blue flames and it flew to the enemy, but the enemy seemed unscathed. His flames lit the armor brighter but the enemy was busy trying to hit Claire, unmindful of the supposedly-damaging flames.

Do we even have a chance on this battle?

The Weapon hacked and slashed, as Claire magnificently and gracefully dodged, parried, and countered masterfully with her two small pistols.

Amazing, I thought. Is she some kind of a hired assassin or something?

No time for this, I had to help.

Focus, focus, focus X! I tried putting my mind in a state of freedom; transparent and light.

I can't. The world seemed to flow, but I was stuck in my own fantasy. I can, I convinced myself.

I can imagine myself floating in a watery oblivion, there was peace and tranquility. Everything moved spiritually, it was in my head. As if I can control it, as if I can will the waters to act.

Slow. Fast. Normal.

Yes, correct. With my will, I will.

Focus, X.

Claire continued harassing the enemy, with the bullets that seemed to only mildly pierce the many-layered armor of the Weapon. If she could only continuously pierce the armor with quick, straight shots, we could succeed, somehow.

Once again, I accessed the watery oblivion, pleading and manipulating what I want to happen. I focused hard, thinking what I want—and it slowly depleted my energy, but I feel it moving perfectly, flawlessly to me, waiting for a signal to be released.

I raised my left palm and pointed it to the Weapon.

Magic wove its way, creating a slower time space for the enemy, or otherwise, creating a faster time space around the enemy. I never knew which, it did not matter.

It was like two to three times its normal speed, giving Claire the opportunity to dodge at ease and strike quicker.

The kid glanced at me, in awe as he conjured more and more flames to the slow-motioned enemy. The fury of his flames flickered the growing temperature in the armor.

"All right, X! Keep it up." Claire was quick, striking the enemy bullet and bullet, until the magazines were all out. She stuck her left palm to the armor in the middle, and frost climbed up and shivered until it was clear and crisp.

"Now, kid!"

The flames were straight, sinistral, and finishing. It pierced right through the ice mark, which made the heart's steel armor vulnerable for the finishing blow. The flames mercilessly continued to strike like a blue serpent until it came out behind the enemy.

The Weapon stood normal for a few seconds, smoking but unmoving, and it fell face down to the floor, and shattered with the victorious sounds of collapsing metal bars.

**The Tracker**

Those three were a mess. It's a bad thing they were getting familiar with their abilities. Really bad. Getting worse for our side, at least.

This was a direct threat to humanity, and to the existence of the world itself. The world has gone into a state of chaos: false gods, rebellion, and the independency.

I tucked my hair back, tying it to a strict ponytail so it would not get in the way of my sight. Now where do they plan to go?

Since the incident began, I had lost contact with the Eddas Police District, I had been on my own since the transit, following the three out their way to wherever they plan to make camp. Doing my duty to serve humanity, I must not be seen, I'm afraid that their supernatural abilities were going to overpower ordinary, and even advanced skills honed in training.

Seeing the dispatched Weapon I activated a while ago get scorched to pieces by those three was not what I expected. But I had gained insights from that fight.

The ice-wielding woman was skilled in hand-to-hand combat, flexible and agile in movement.

The flame-wielding kid must have been more masterful in his offensive spells compared to the ice-wielder's 'magic' abilities, but seemed untrained in combat.

And the girl who was beside the kid used support magic, she seemed to have access to boosts, crowd controls, and healing.

Don't get me wrong, this was not a surprise to me. Actually, it's what we were trained for, this was what we had been waiting for. All those hardcore training and extraordinarily unbelievable lectures come alive now.

Now this was a well-composed team; more of a challenge to me if I have to exterminate them as soon as possible.

I started walking behind them, making myself visible if they'd turn around accidentally. I touched the handle of the sheathed Rod, a rapier-like sword given to high-ranking officials, said to nullify and absorb all 'magic'.

I shook, wondering if this suicide attempt is worth it, if the Rod really does its job.

"Well, I guess we'll know today."

I grabbed the silver magnum with my other hand, pointed it toward the ice-wielding woman and shot.

I hit her on her upper shoulder, and she fell excruciating to the cold ground.

I pulled out the Rod as the other two aghast looked in my direction, the sound of blade sliding through its sheathe echoed with the cries of her nearing death.


	2. Act 2

Act Two

"Ugh, this is getting us nowhere."

A silhouette somersaulted in the air, landing with grace on the road as a sleek, male figure danced into view.

He held what seemed like a rapier, a Rod to be precise, with the capability of absorbing any unearthly magic.

"Surrender the brand," his voice was cold but with an emotion. "In the name of justice."

"What the! Who are you?"

"They call me Justice." He laughed a laughter of freezing hollowness.

"Shut up, freak. Come and get me then!" The male thug wore punk clothes, your typical alley criminal, but in his left hand glowed a mark of some ancient symbol.

His laughter gave way for the man to run pass the skirting alleys, as if he memorized every left and right of the place until only the darkness of the alleyways were visible.

The silhouette came into view. As he called himself, Justice was a man of fairness and looks. His glasses sparkled through the noon sunlight. His blue and white officer robes flowed gracefully until the drop down of his black combat boots. His belt traced his waist, the sheath of the deadly Rod in place hanging.

Justice closed his eyes for a while, as if meditating on the course of his criminal, and dashed upward the building-jumping in quick fashion, and equal grace.

A better view up, he thought to himself.

He was now at the roof of the old building, clothes were hung and bricks were loose. The scent of left burning cookery was livid out the furnace of the building.

Justice took from his pocket a yellow chip-like disc and closed his fist unto it. A spark of blue electricity rattled with force from his closed fist; sinistral, dangerous, but beautiful.

He opened his fist above his head and the blue bolts shot upward and in a second it was gone.

Three seconds.

Seven seconds.

Ten seconds.

"Track." Dark clouds were suddenly in view in a small speck above, a small thunderstorm was brewing, one enough for one man. As Justice blew the word 'track', a quick blue bolt came down to him, and jolted through his equipped Rod.

The Rod was dancing with blue eels of voltage, some may think that it is an aesthetic aspect as it would seem artificially crafted.

Justice's left eye shone a yellow and blue. Then the next second, he was running.

A minute passed, a silhouette was just moving quickly across the already dark alleyways of Eddas. And the encounter was finally made:

"I found you."

There was just a scream to be heard, fresh blood was like a fountain as the Rod pierced through the heart unknowingly. There was a gasping and a grunting, but no words escaped the thug's mouth. He was done for.

"Mine," Justice whispers. And the thug's mark was burning into his right hand.


	3. Act 3

Act Three

Justice moved swiftly, from one building to another, as if he was being chased.

He skipped gracefully from one alleyway to another, after finally settling on a well-lit alley, free from the justifiable crime he committed.

He gazed upon the mark on his hand palatably. And began to spoke:

"Tell me, why have the gods come back?"

At first there was no sound, but a slight murmur, and then a voice. In his head, the whispers were vivid: "The world nears its end."

"What end?"

"The Great God wraths. We were banished unto the human world, forced to cling unto one after another."

"I understand. Your only way of survival is through a human's faith, a human life force."

"Yes. And you saved me, by stealing me away from that man who thought my whispers were of a ghost's. I am eternally grateful."

Justice smiled in satisfaction at the words of the god.

"Then, tell me. Tell me your name, Divine One."

"I am Garuda, Queen of Storms and Harbinger of Society. I live through you, in your veins I thrive, in faith is my force, and in your will, my will as well. Although, I am not that strong in combat and easily defeated in a Divine Duel, I can serve you well as I am an enchanter, eternally aiding you in your journeys."

"Then show yourself unto me, Garuda." Justice raised his left hand, palm open. "I summon thee, Garuda!"

From the ground, a green circle marked with ancient runes was glowing. And a faded form arose, as tall as Justice. It was a woman. What stood out were her green hair and red eyes. Her body was of a woman in her 20's itself. She stood there naked, but radiating.

"I apologize, to you Cal Justice Weiss. No longer can we retain our forms as gods; and the human curse remains unto us until the Great God lifts it."

Justice was merely stunned, having to expect a 20-foot human-animal god to appear. But a naked girl instead.

"Tch." He looked another direction, in embarrassment. "Return to me, for the mean time. As I will properly… clothe you."

"As you wish," and in an instant, Garuda was fading.

Justice was walking out from the alley and to the main road. As he arrived on the big streets, there was only silence and gunshots from afar. Eddas was now a complete ghost-town after the forced evacuation and quarantine.

Justice still remembered the incident. For all he knew, as a special soldier of the neo-army, they were trained to use artificial magic, as preparation for the End. The End had come. What they were taught was as soon as natural and real magic happens around town, this was might well be the End.

They were told that the End happened when all the people had started to lose faith and hope. The day when kings and queens no longer thrive, but the poisoned democracy ruled. The End will happen when all men sinned and learned to not confess for their actions. The End happened because people completely thought in reverse the morals of right and wrong.

Justice thought, that the day really has come. Miracles like magic, which is unearthly, deviant, and fairy tale-like, came. Even these gods, whom he had only read from ancient history books kept in the library of the place he works.

Even magic is wrong, he thought. For a while he had been thinking what good will it do if the neo-military itself will kill those who bear magic. It will just worsen the end. Might as well survive, rather than kill more.

It really was hard to kill that man, he hesitated. But I had to do it for my own. Survival of the fittest, right?

Justice walked in the middle of the abandoned road. He was on his way to a clothing store.


	4. Act 4

The apartment was small, but luxurious. The minimalism was profound. The colors of black, grey, white, and light blue were designed conceptually on every wall, appliance, and furniture inside.

Justice walked back and forth holding a clear, crystal phone in his hand.

Should I make a call? Justice wondered if he should call the commander, to inform of his personal mission. But that was stupid, they wouldn't understand his motives.

Garuda sat still on the sofa, her eyes following her master's stride. Yet she did not radiate an aura of submission to the master her life she owes.

"You seem… distressed." Garuda spoke in a voice that slightly echoed with majesty and force.

Justice noticed her, but stared blankly. He opened the television, changing to the news channel.

"—live at Eddas district to bring you a report of what seems to be a deadly catastrophic rampage of a young man and two women against a police officer, identified to be Special Elite Officer Sarah Snipe. We will show the live broadcast from our drones."

Then the scene changed. A woman held two pistols, taking the lead, and the two male and female companions seemed to cast offensive and support spells from behind. Then the officer named Sarah, holding a Rod, but cast too much light that made the footage twisty and blurry. Purple lightning radiated from the officer, and the female lead seemed to be shooting bullets and the officer slashing quickly in mid-air. It seemed like she was slicing the bullets in half.

"Sarah. Why did you attack!?" Justice grunted in frustration and threw his phone hard on the wall.

"That technique," Justice was muttering to himself while Garuda was fixed on the television screen. "Hmm, an organized team in a span of hours since the End has started. One traditional and ancient way of battle. Uh huh, I see… roles are being played."

"Three gods," Garuda said.

"What?"

"They were chosen by the gods; those powers are Shiva's, Ifrit's, and Carbuncle's. Methodically placed, they were the triad. The Flow of Time, Carbuncle, makes possible the hastened states and creation of Ice, Shiva, and Fire, Ifrit."

She stood up. She was wearing a white cocktail dress streaked by two yellow cloth hanging and black combat boots. On her neck hung a green jade.

She spoke with sudden might, "We must proceed to the battle."

"What? No!" Justice was stuttering with Garuda's urgency.

She looked at him, into his eyes, and deeply change her tone, "Which side are you on, Cal Justice Weiss?"

"I am on the side of justice."

"What is your sense, what is your definition of justice? Although the act of exterminating my previous owner was to my own selfish concern, a delight. It still is described as inhumane in your society."

"I haven't given much thought on that." Justice looked down, deep inside him; it was the first time he killed a man; but he did not show strain nor hesitation. "But I will do so if it is for the greater good."

"I see that you work with the woman who wield artificial magic. Will you claim the other gods' power because they are the enemies in your territorial language here in Eddas?"

"Is that possible?"

"If you wish, it is not of my concern, your will is mine as well."


End file.
